1989 Pro Set Promo's

1989 Pro Set Promo's

 -Draft-

 



Updated December 13, 2014

 

Description:   Lud Denny was a master of promotion!  He understood that inspiring the collector to embrace his cards would turn into huge profits!  Everywhere he went and anything he did included giving away free cards and promoting the products his company was making.  This was the first time consumers could easily get their hands on such cards.  Before, only executives, distributors and dealers were privy to such perks.  And thus, the long list of promos Pro Set gave away begins here.  Although the prototypes are forms of promos (see 1988 Pro Set Prototypes),  they have their own page dedicated to them because the year of their production differs from these (and some Master Collectors believe they are their own set and not part of the '89 Master Set.  Go figure!).

(santa card pic, front and back)

It is rumored that the earliest of Santa cards differ in some way.  Some say it included measurements of Santa.  I have never seen a variation in all the time I have collected Pro Set.  But like most rumors, there is always some truth.  I check every card back I run into because a variation would be a great find to document (and own)!

Stadium Giveaways:  As discussed in the 1989 Pro Set Totino's Pizza Packs, packs of cards were given away at select NFL stadiums.  Pro Set called these events "Pro Set Days."  Everyone attending one of these games was offered a free pack of cards to promote their Inaugural set.  Not just Totino's packs were given away.  Clear cellophane packs with 5 cards were also distributed.  These non-Totino's packs are now really difficult to find sealed.  I have only seen a few listed for sale in all the years I have searched.

(pack pic, non-totino's)

Series II Promo's:  Cards of Thomas Sanders, Blair Bush and James Lofton were distributed at a National Card show to promote their Series II release.  Pro Set then stated that those cards were printed in error and should not have been distributed.  Of course, this was false information.  Pro Set would heavily promote their errors and variations as they believed this was the cause for so much interest in their cards.  To this day, this holds true, and the misinformation just fueled the variation fire.   In actuality, the cards were printed as promo's.  You don't print 10k+ cards of each player,  cut them, package them in boxes, and ship them to a convention in error.  No one is that dumb..., not even Pro Set employees! (sorry, I had to do it! :-D)

(3 card pics, front and back)

Santa Claus Promo's:  Pro Set commissioned artist Rick Brown to come up with a Santa Claus picture they could use on a card.   The result was ol' Saint Nick holding up his own Pro Set card while presumably sorting his collection.  Lud Denny and Pete Rozelle peer through the window as elves.  These cards were then sent to executive, distributors and dealers as a Holiday Thank You from Pro Set.  Also included in the mailers were greeting cards with the exact same image.  The story goes that Pro Set wanted to enter the greeting card market.  I have never found any non-Santa cards made by them, so I cannot confirm it.  What I do know is, like everything else Pro Set, there are variations!

I have, in my possession, three different greeting cards.  They all share the same Santa art work on the front.  But on the inside, one says "Happy Holidays from all the cards at Pro Set."  It has 1989 Pro Set Inc. as the copyright on the back.  The next says "Happy Holidays from all the cards at NFL Properties."  The copyright is changed to 1989 National Football League Properties.  And finally, the third one is blank on the inside.  No text whatsoever.  But the copyright is identical to the first, 1989 Pro Set Inc.

(inside greeting card pic, 2)

Card Show Promo:  As part of their promotional activities, Pro Set helped sponsor the first Super Bowl card show, Card Show I.  Not being one to arrive empty handed, Pro Set printed cards similar to their Super Bowl XXIV insert and added a snipe to the front stating it was made especially for the card show.  These seem to be very common nowadays.  Another shame!  If the collector gets cards cheap, they don't appreciate what they have.  But try getting one from card Show V! :-D

(card show I pic front and back)

Notes:  If I have made a mistake or omitted some information, please email me at 1990proset dot gmail dot com.